John bohlen



(No Model.)

J BOHLEN LINE 0R HAMMOOK HOLDER.

No. 549,625. Patented NOV. 12, 1895.

' INVENTOI? gfld/zm/j E8 ES:

A 770/?NE Y 8.

.PHOTOWQWASHINGTONJL UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOHN BOHLEN, OF BIG RAPIDS, MIOI IIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MILO B. PINCOMB, OF SAME PLACE. p

LINE OR HAMMOCK HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters PatentNo. 549,625, dated November 12, 1895.

Application filed March 11, 1895.

To all whom it may concerni v Be it known that I, JOHN BOHLEN, of Big Rapids, in the county of Mecosta and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Line or Hammock Holder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

vMy invention relates to line-holding devices, and particularly to such as are employed for the support and clamping of clothes-lines in a taut condition and for holding hammocks, 85c.

The objects of my invention are to provide an improved device of the type indicated, which will be cheap to produce, dispensing with machine work for finishing the same, and that will afford a line-holder having a free lateral rocking movement to adapt it to accommodate the line when it trends in diagonal directions at either side, thereby avoiding strain on its parts.

A further object is to produce a line-holder I that will reliably clamp a clothes-line and re tain it in a stretched condition while weight is supported by the line.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in both of the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the improved line-holder, showing a clamped line in part by dotted lines; and Fig. 2 is a sectional side view of the improvement taken on a 1011- gitudinal line near the transverse center of said device.

The improved lineholder consists of three pieces that are so shaped as to produce a very effective device, and for economy in manufacture, which is afirst essential in such a fixture, said parts by their peculiar form are adapted to be cast into shape complete, so that when cleaned to remove molding-sand by the usual means, the three pieces can be put together without requiring any machine work, thus affording a superior novel lineholder at a very low cost.

In the drawings, the bracket-plate 10 will be seen to consist of an oblong metal body,

fierial l-lo. 541,306. (No model.)

the upper edge of which is deeply notched, as indicated at 10, thus'producing two limbs 10. Below the notch 10 an outwardly-projecting boss 11 is formed on the front surface of the bracket-plate, and on the forward portion of the boss two integral pintles 12 13 are produced, projecting, respectively, from the upper and lower sides of the boss in the same vertical plane. The lower pintle 13 is shorter than the upper one, and opposite it an aperture 10 is formed in the bracket-plate. Three screw-holes 10 are produced in the bracketplate, one in each limb 10 and one near the lower end of the plate, these being formed in casting the plate, and it will be noticed that by providing the notch 10 and aperture 10 in the bracket-plate the molding of the cylindric pintles 12 13 is permitted without settingcores, which cheapens the production of the bracket-plate in complete form.

' The swivel block 14, that engages the bracket-plate 10, is constructed of metal and has a comparatively heavy ear 14 formed on the side that in service is nearest to and 0pposite the notch 10 of the bracket-plate, and below this ear a smaller ear 14 is formed that projects parallel with the ear 14" in the same direction. There is sufficient space between the ears 14 14 to admit the boss 11 between them, and to facilitate the connection of the bracket-plate and swivel-block the upper car on the latter is deeply slotted at its front, as shown at 14, the slot having its bottom wall incurved to adapt it to fit on the upper pintle 12. The lower ear 14" is notched in its rear edge and similarly curved in its bottom, so that it may rest against the front surface of the lower pintle 13, when the parts of the line-holder areassembled. Two spaced upright limbs 14 are formed on the ear14, one at each side of the slot 14, and at the forward edge of the ear where it joins the depending body of the swivel-block on the upper ends of these limbs a lip 14 is formed, which lips project toward the bracket-plate when the swivel-block is in position thereon. On the lower end of the swivelblock two guard-fingers 14 are formed, which project from opposite edges of the lower ear 14 in advance of the swivel-block body, a space of suitable width intervening said guard-fingers.

ICO

It will be clear that the swivel-block 14: may be readily placed in working connection with the bracket-plate 10 by sliding the upper car 14: over the upper pintle 12 and then resting the lower ear 1& against the lower pintle 13; and as the latter is thus loosely embraced by the notched ear, and a shoulder 11 on the boss 11 is then projected over the lower ear 11, it will be seen that the swivel-block is loosely secured on the bracket-plate, free to rock sidewise until it strikes the plate at either side of its boss, but is prevented by the shoulder 11 from upward movement while the block bears on the pintles.

A clampin g-lever 1 6 is the completin g member of the improved line-holder, and, as represented, this lever consists of an elongated piece of metal, having a fork 1b formed at its upper end and a toe-piece 16" at its lower end. Between the ends of the clamping-lever 16, at the side which is rearward in use, a projection or arm 10 is formed, that is of such a breadth as will permit it to pass loosely between the limbs ll, and on the inner end of the arm two trunnions 16 are oppositely projected from its sides.

1 The lever 16 is preferably bent between its ends and the intermediate arm 16, as shown,to adapt it to receive a clothes-line or other line it is to clamp. The length of the arm 16 is so proportioned that it will extend far enough rearward to allow the trunnions 16 to be introduced behind the limbs 14, and the lower end portion of the lever should then be permitted to loosely enter between the guardfingers 14$.

When the lever 16 is slid into place, its trunnions 1 (5 will be loosely retained in rocking connection with the limbs 1+1 by the lips 1i and also by the upper end portion of the pintle 12, that is projected above the boss 11 for that purpose.

By reason of the peculiar shapes given to the swivel-block 14 and clamping-lever 16, these parts are adapted for casting without cores by usual methods for producing light hardware, and therefore can be rapidly and cheaply made.

I11 service, if a proper number of the improved line-holders is provided, which are secured at desired points on posts or other stable supports, a clothes-line can be quickly and reliably stretched and held taut and the line be drawn at any angle sidewise, said line being passed over the top of the lever 16 and resting in itscrotch, and thence extending down between the lever and swivel-block to be pressed against the latter between the guardfingers 1i by the lower end of the lever, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, or the line may in some cases be drawn out sidewise above the toe on. the lower end of the lever and above the guard-fingers, if the device entireis to be merely used as a line-support intermediate of the ends of the same, the latter being socurely held by the clamping-lever as has been explained.

Usually but a single line-holder will be required for retaining a line stretched in a taut condition, as the clothes-line may be fastened to a st ble support at a proper elevation from the ground by one end of the line and then passed through common screw-eyes that proj ect from other supports at a proper distance from each other. The opposite end of the clothes-line is clamped by the improved holder, as hereinbefore explained, after the line has been stretched to render it taut, and thus dispenses with the usual props that are needed if the line is not rendered taut before use.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a line holder, the combination with a bracket-plate having a boss, aligned pintles extending from the top and bottom of the boss, said boss being formed with a shoulder at the junction of the lower pintle therewith, a swivel-block having notched ears engaging the pintles, the lower ear projecting under the shoulder on the boss, spaced forwardly-extending guard fingers on the lower ear of the swivel block and spaced limbs projecting from the upper ear and provided at their upper ends with lips, of a clamping lever having a fork at its upper end, an intermediate arm. on said lever, and aligning trunnions on said arm lying between the limbs on the upper ear and below their lips, and opposite the upper end of the upper pintle, the lower end of said lever working between the guard fingers of the swivel-block, substantially as described.

2. In a line holder, the combination with a bracket having a boss at its front, and apertures one above and the other below said boss, and aligned pintles extending from the top and bottom of the boss, a shoulder being formed at the junction of the lower pintle with the boss, of a swivel-block having notched cars engaging the pintles at opposite points, the lower ear extending under the shoulder on the boss, spaced limbs projecting from the upper ear and having lips at their upper ends, and a clamping lever forked at its upper on d, and having an arm formed with aligning trunnions lying between the upper pintle, the limbs on the upper ear and the lips thereon, substantially as described.

JOHN BOllLEi Witnesses .TNo. '1. CLARK, WM. M. FERGUSON. 

